Deke Bellavia

Deke's Prep Football Preview, week #2

by Deke Bellavia,posted Sep 7 2012 3:41PM

As we enter week two of the 2012 prep football season, this is actually week one for many teams down here in South Louisiana, with Hurricane Isaac causing a lot of teams not to play last week. A national match-up takes place in the Dome, the Great American Rivalry takes place in City Park, and two of the state’s best players square off on the LSU campus. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting match-ups this weekend.

Plant vs John Curtis in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome – This is the best match-up in the country this week. #6 Curtis takes on #7 Plant as both are ranked in the top ten national high school poll. A few years ago when Curtis traveled to Alabama to take on then-powerhouse Hoover, the Patriots beat down Hoover. Once again, I expect Curtis to be fully prepared and the Patriots will prove that they are among the best programs in the country.

Holy Cross vs Jesuit in City Park – The oldest rivalry in high school football in Louisiana, and one of the oldest in the nation, takes place again in City Park. Coach Barry Wilson and his HC Tigers are looking to improve from last season as the highlight of 2011 for the Tigers was a big upset win over Fontainebleau. On the flip side, the Blue Jays made a deep run in the 5A playoffs last season. Coach Wayde Keiser has built a solid program as Jesuit has been a threat in the Catholic League and Class 5A the last few seasons. Expect a big crowd for the 93rd edition of the Great American Rivalry.

Edna Karr @ Hahnville – A lot of talent will be on the field when the Tigers and Cougars play. Coach Lou Valdin, longtime Coach at Hahnville, is looking to see how far his team has come since jamboree weekend. The Cougars are loaded once again with Division I-A talent. This is a great 4A versus 5A battle down in Hahnville.

Loranger @ University High – A recruiting coordinators dream takes place here as two of the top football players in the state will be featured in this game. Loranger QB and LSU commitment Jeryl Brazil leads the Wolves against a powerful 2A Team in the U-High Cubs and their top star Tim Williams. The Wolves did not get to play last week, as their game with Riverside was called off due to Hurricane Isaac. U-High made a statement last week by whipping 5A East Ascension by four TD’s. No doubt about it, this is going to be a good game to follow this weekend.

Ponchatoula @ Amite – The two best teams in Tangipahoa Parish in 2011 square off after not-so-good showings in jamboree action two weeks ago. Neither Amite nor Ponchatoula was able to play last week because of the storm, and each have a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the football. The winner of this game will have a lot of confidence moving forward the rest of the season.

East Jefferson @ Independence – The next two weeks will tell us a lot about the Independence Tigers. After a big win over Baker the Tigers now take on two solid teams in back-to-back weeks, starting with the Warriors of EJ this week. Independence was able to play last week, and that could be to their advantage. EJ is a playoff-caliber team in Class 4A, and a win for the Tigers would give them a good boost in the power ratings. The Tigers were clicking on all cylinders last week on offense and their defense played well also. If the Tigers win this week and next week against West Feliciana, look out!

Jewel Sumner @ Kentwood – Sumner is better, and Kentwood has the makings of a title team in 2012. This should be a good one. Sumner knows if they beat Kentwood, they can hang with anyone else they play. If the Roos win, it would help them generate a lot of power points with a win over a 3A Team. Kentwood is ranked 3rd in Class 1A, and the Cowboys would like nothing more than to be the first team to knock them off!